Plant inventory, distribution and display system

Abstract

A system for inventorying and distributing potted plants for a greenhouse includes a system of elevated rails disposed throughout the greenhouse. Rolling benches travel on the system of rails so that the potted plants may be transported to and from proper growth positions in the greenhouse. Plants that are ready to be shipped to retailers are tagged with labels via hog rings and loaded from a rolling bench onto a spacer tray that features receptacles sized so as to prevent the plants from tipping during transport. A number of spacer trays are loaded onto a rolling plant rack for delivery to a retailer's store via a delivery truck. Filled plant racks are rolled off of the delivery truck and into position at the retailer's store and exchanged for empty plant racks. The plant racks feature shelves that are spaced to allow easy plant maintenance in the store. The shelves are also tilted to allow display of the plants. The plant pots, spacer tray and plant rack may include color and ornamental indicia identifying the greenhouse of origin for the plants or a brand mark. Bar code labels are attached to the plant racks, spacer trays and plant pots and are scanned by bar code scanners at the greenhouse and retailers' stores so that useful tracking data may be collected.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for tracking the distribution of potted plants from a greenhouse to a retail establishment comprising the steps of: a) generally filling a plant rack with potted plants;   b) scanning a bar code label affixed to said plant rack so that an identifying serial number is recorded in a computer at the greenhouse;   c) loading the filled plant rack onto a delivery vehicle;   d) delivering the filled plant rack to the retail establishment by the delivery vehicle;   e) unloading the filled plant rack from the delivery vehicle at the retail establishment;   f) scanning the bar code label affixed to said plant rack at the retail establishment and transmitting the identifying serial number to the greenhouse computer;   g) replacing a generally empty plant rack with the filled plant rack at a display position in the retail establishment;   h) loading the generally empty plant rack onto the delivery vehicle; and   i) returning the generally empty plant rack to the greenhouse by the delivery vehicle;   whereby reports may be generated by the greenhouse computer regarding delivery times and identifying locations of plant racks utilized by the greenhouse.   
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1 wherein step a) includes the steps of: a)i) scanning a bar code label affixed to a potted plant so that identification and pricing information the potted plant is recorded by a computer at the greenhouse;   a)ii) loading the scanned potted plant into a spacer tray;   a)iii) repeating steps a)i) and a)ii) until the spacer tray is generally filled with scanned potted plants;   a)iv) scanning a bar code label affixed to the spacer tray so that the plant composition and total pricing for the spacer tray is recorded by the greenhouse computer;   a)v) loading the scanned spacer tray onto the plant rack; and   a)vi) repeating steps a)i) through a)v) until the plant rack is generally filled with potted plants.   
     
     
       3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of processing the plant composition and the total pricing for the filled plant rack with the greenhouse computer so that reports pertaining thereto are produced. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of transmitting the plant composition and total pricing information for the filled plant rack from the greenhouse computer to the retail establishment before step d) so that the retail establishment knows of inventory in transit. 
     
     
       5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of: j) scanning a bar code label affixed to the returned generally empty plant rack so that an identifying serial number is recorded in the greenhouse computer.   
     
     
       6. A system for tracking the distribution of potted plants from a greenhouse to a retail establishment comprising: a) a plant rack including a plurality of shelves upon which said potted plants are disposed, said plant rack also including a bar code label affixed thereto containing an identifying serial number;   b) said greenhouse including a bar code reading device and a computer that are in communication so that said plant rack bar code label may be scanned by the greenhouse bar code reading device and the identifying serial number contained therein may be recorded by the greenhouse computer;   c) means for delivering said plant rack to said retail establishment; and   d) a retail establishment bar code reading device in communication with said greenhouse computer so that said bar code label may be scanned upon arrival of said plant rack at said retail establishment whereby a delivery time and location for said plant rack may be determined so that the greenhouse computer may track and generate a report pertaining to the delivery time and the location of the plant rack.   
     
     
       7. The system of claim 6 wherein the plurality of shelves of the plant rack are tilted. 
     
     
       8. The system of claim 6 wherein said plant rack features vertical members with a plurality of slots therethrough and said plurality of shelves have corners with tabs extending therefrom with said tabs engaging said slots to support said shelves between said vertical members, said slots sized so that said shelves may be configured in a tilted orientation. 
     
     
       9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a flip-out sign attached to one of said vertical members in a pivoting fashion. 
     
     
       10. The system of claim 6 wherein the plurality of shelves of said plant rack are constructed of screened material. 
     
     
       11. The system of claim 6 further comprising spacer trays, each having a plurality of receptacles sized to receive said potted plants, said potted plants disposed within the plurality of receptacles of the spacer trays and said spacer trays positioned upon the shelves of said plant rack, said spacer trays including bar code labels affixed thereto that may be scanned by the greenhouse bar code reader so that identification and pricing information for the potted plants loaded in the spacer trays may be recorded by the greenhouse computer.